A step closer to a better Sitio Tagbawi

Monkayo, Davao de Oro---Education has always been a priority of Governor Tyron Uy’s leadership in Davao de Oro, and for the next few days, another one (1) unit, two (2) classroom buildings will rise in the far-flung Sitio Tagbawi, in Brgy. Rizal, Monkayo.

Schools in highly urbanized areas are typical institutions, but for people in far-flung communities, it's an opening for more opportunities. The eradication of insurgency also brought major changes in the hinterlands, and for Sitio Tagbawi, it will be a game-changer.

Situated in higher grounds, four tribes reside in Tagbawi and its neighboring communities; the Mangguwangan, Dibabawon, Manobo, and Mandaya tribes.

In the year 2017, Sitio Tagbawi withdraws from supporting the communist group and was one of the pilot communities to benefit from the Oplan Pagbabago Program of the provincial government of Davao de Oro. Now that the presence of communists were totally banished from their area, development began to spur. 

Schoolchildren will no longer traverse kilometers as the learning institution will be brought closer to them. Two (2) more sitios; Little Depot, and Upper Pasian will also benefit from the project; a product of  PLGU-Davao de Oro’s culture of ‘bayanihan’ through “Bayanihan Sa Paaralan Program”, wherein volunteers from the Department of Education, 25th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, employees of the provincial government and other private partners go hand-in-hand for its completion.

A total of eighty (80) students are currently enrolled in the school, all from the three sitios with more or less three-hundred (300) households.

More projects are underway for Tagbawi. Sooner, a solar dryer and a water system project will be utilized by local farmers in the area, and transportation of local produce will be of comfort after the completion of a farm-to-market road. The provincial government initially targets to accomplish and turn over the school building with complete facilities on March 4, 2022. (JA, PAO-IPRD, photos by J. Cadiz)

DILG chief: Not yet time to make booster shots mandatory

By: THIRD ANNE PERALTA-MALONZO, SunStar Manila

DEPARTMENT of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said on Monday, February 7, 2022, that making coronavirus disease (Covid-19) booster shots mandatory is not yet timely, as the primary series remains to be the government’s priority.

“Sa ngayon, hindi pa ‘yan napapanahon. Ang ating priority pa rin, yung pag-vaccinate ng primary series (It’s not yet timely. Our priority is still to give the primary series),” he said in a television interview.

“Kung hindi natin uunahin ang mga ito, yung bawat isang tinuturok nating mga booster ay kawalan ng opportunity para mabakunahan sa primary series (If we will not prioritize this, the dose we give as booster is a lost opportunity for those who have not yet received the primary series),” he added.

Earlier, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said the National Government should consider making booster shots a requirement for entry in business establishments, particularly in Metro Manila.

As of February 4, a total of 59,819,868 individuals have completed their Covid-19 vaccination with 60,659,350 have received first dose.

The Department of Health said 8,011,994 persons who have completed their inoculation already got their booster doses.

In Metro Manila, Año said 565,880 were still unvaccinated.

Meantime, Año said they have received the inventory of unvaccinated individuals from 12 out of the 17 regions in the country.

He said it will be used as the government’s guidance in deploying vaccine doses.

“Karamihan dito nasa lugar na malalayo, so ito rin ang magiging strategy natin kung paano mapaaabot ang bakuna rito (Majority of these are those from far-flung areas, so it will be part of our strategy on how to deliver the vaccines to these areas),” he said.

The DILG earlier instructed barangays to prepare a list of unvaccinated individuals in their areas of jurisdiction. (SunStar Philippines)

Do Latinos and Filipinos look alike?

Nelson Agelvis

Life coach, college counselor, college professor, English teacher, magazine editor, photographer, Venezuelan travel expert & more

I’m Latino (Venezuela) and I have been to the Philipines. In general, Latinos and Filipinos don’t look alike but many—millions—do, because the original indigenous Americans, from Alaska to Patagonia, are of Asian (Siberian and Polynesian) origin. And Filipinos are a wild mix of Asian, Polynesian, with some European (Spanish) and even some with African (the Aetas). If you look at the indigenous tribes of the Amazon, of the highlands of Peru and Bolivia, of the Southwestern United States, of Northwestern Canada, they look like many Filipinos. Many Filipinos actually look less Asian than many Amazonian indigenous people. Visiting the Philipines, I was surprised at how many Filipinos look like many Latin Americans from Peru to the Caribbean. The Filipinos of Aeta origin look like any Latin American from the coastal cacao-growing towns along the Caribbean. The Lumad, Badjaos, Igorot, etc. also look like some Latin American indigenous groups.

Anyway, the average Filipino looks more Southeast Asian while the average Latin American does not. But even though you could perfectly differentiate a group of 100 random Filipinos from a group of 100 random Venezuelans/Colombians, you will find some that are similar. Look at the current and former Miss Philippines. Their faces are like those of millions that you’ll find in Colombia/Venezuela. You put those girls in a Venezuelan/Colombian gym working out and nobody will ever think that they are not local girls.

And here are Philipinos of Aeta origin. There are millions of Latinos that look like them too (Would you guess they are Filipinos?).

Conclusion: Average Filipinos (not Miss Universes and not a remote tribe), have high Southeast Asian DNA (China, Malaysia, Polynesia) while Latin Americans have high indigenous (Native American) and European DNA (Spain, Italy, Portugal). So I can’t say we “look alike” but many—millions of us—do. Anyway, look like us or not, Filipinos are part of the Hispanic world from the Iberian point of view (Spanish colonial origin). They are our Asian cousins.

What is the impact of overseas Filipino workers to the Philippine economy?

 

Bisaya

Barok and Takya Blog | Bisaya Podcast

Overseas Filipino workers are a vital part of the Philippine economy. They contribute billions of dollars to the economy each year, and they play a critical role in supporting their families back home.

The money that overseas Filipino workers send home helps keep many families afloat, and it has a ripple effect throughout the economy. When families have more money to spend, they put it back into the local economy, which helps to create jobs and support businesses.

Overseas Filipino workers are an essential part of the Philippine economy, and they make a huge difference both for their families and the country as a whole. Thank you for your question!